Ride Like Hell
by FightingKentuckian
Summary: Ghost Rider stole something from Mephista. Now he's on the run from her father, and every two-bit killer sent to take down the Rider and reclaim the Devil's due. Can he make it across the country on his bike while avoiding assassins, mutants, monster hunters, and more?
1. Road to Retribution

Flames poured down onto the asphalt in heavy waves. The motorcycle's engine roared like a demon. It flew like Hell down the highway. Set atop the twisted metal steed was the Ghost Rider. Behind him on the stretch of desert road was an unnatural cloud of red smoke billowing from another Hellcycle. He opened the throttle wide open trying to outrun his pursuer. The blazing tires pulled the black Harley at an unfathomable speed, but the other Hellcycle still slowly closed the gap. The Rider looked over his shoulder to see a familiar figure on the bike. A gorilla of a man stuffed in a leather jacket with a flaming skull much more demonic looking than even the Rider's.

"The Devil want's his due." Vengeance stated as he pulled a chain of bones from around his waist. As he swung the chain up above his head, the Ghost Rider put a little more fire into his engine to avoid being struck. The bones flew down, glancing off the back fender of the Rider's bike. The Ghost Rider took this chance to unwrap the steel chain off his chest. When Vengeance was at an even speed with the Rider again he threw the Hellfire chains against his mammoth chest, but they buffed off the demon rider. It would take more than that to get him off his bike. Vengeance turned in towards Rider and rammed their bikes together, Harley metal scratching up against the demon metal. His chain wrapped around his fist, the Rider swung out and busted it up against Vengeance's hellish skull. While the big brute was distracted, the Rider untangled their motorcycles with a kick, giving him some distance. The two traded blows with their demon chains, metal and bone clashing against leather and steel. A lucky swing had wrapped Ghost Rider's chain around Vengeance's forearm. He tried to pull the brute off his bike, but his leverage wasn't good enough. Vengeance pulled his Hellcycle away, bringing the chain with him. With his motorcycle starting to tip, the Rider pulled back to keep from grounding his bike. The two were evenly matched in the tug of war until Vengeance sent a burst of Hellfire through his arm until the chain melted off his arm. The Ghost Rider saw a swing coming in from his enemy's newly freed hand that would clothesline him, he pulled the handbrake to avoid it. The motorcycle popped a stoppie with the front tire in a glorious blaze of orange and yellow. The red dust started to overtake the Rider as he fell behind Vengeance. Once both of his Harley tires were back on the earth he sped up to escape the blinding cloud. The tail of Vengeance's motorcycle came into view. Ghost Rider put his front forks parallel to the back tire as he swung his chain above his head. The chain wrapped itself around the back fender and became taught. Using the tension, Rider grabbed the steel links and propelled himself off his bike into a flying tackle. The two tumbled onto the hard packed highway in a fiery mess of leather and bones, rolling across the road at high speed for at least a half a mile. A mortal man would've suffered from severe road rash, if not death, but the two Hell riders had only some soreness as they picked themselves up. Their bikes had skidded off through the desert. Pulling himself up, Vengeance spoke again,

"Rider, give me what you took from Mephisto and I won't beat the Hell outta you." His gargly voice tried to hint at sarcasm. Rider stood back up, his skull engulfed in red flames whipping up towards the sky. He gave a one-word reply with a wispy voice,

"Never." Realizing their conversation was over, Vengeance cracked his leather clad knuckles,

"You were never big on conversation." He ran towards the Rider and threw a punch into his gut. As the Rider hunched over, another fist connected with his head, knocking his jawbone out of place as he staggered back. The Rider recomposed himself, his bottom jaw hanging crooked in the brilliant blaze of his head flame. An extended hand started to bathe Vengeance in a shower of Hell fire. It did little but distract the demon, but it gave Ghost Rider the time to close the distance with the upper hand. Quickly dropping the hand spouting fire, Rider threw a left hook that caught Vengeance on the top of his jaw, sending a crack through one of his sabre-like teeth. Ghost Rider then took a hold of the lapels on Vengeance's biker jacket. This lined him up to send a knee into the Hell spawn's gut. As Vengeance hunched over, the Rider grabbed his belt from the back and threw him to the ground. A black cowboy boot swiftly connected with Vengeance's ribs in rapid succession. While the demon rider laid there clutching his side, Ghost Rider walked away to grab Vengeance's bone chain, which had rested a few feet away. He took the chain in his hands and turned back towards his combatant, who had pulled himself up to his knees. Ghost Rider threw a ball of Hellfire with his free hand as he swung the chain above his head with the other. This set up Vengeance for the final strike. The Rider threw his chain out, wrapping it around Vengeance's chest and arms. When the chain hit its end, the Rider pulled it tight and dragged Vengeance back to the ground. As Ghost Rider walked over to Vengeance, struggling against his own chain, he sent out a whistle to summon his bike to return. Tossing down the bone link chain, the Rider stood victorious over his foe as the roar of his motorcycle drew closer. Vengeance puffed out his chest trying to free himself to little avail. The Ghost Rider pointed down at Vengeance and again spoke as he readjusted his jaw,

"Piss off." Vengeance was still too busy trying to wriggle free to offer a quick retort. Point made, the Rider turned away and saddled his motorcycle. Vengeance laid there in the Nevada desert as he watched the fiery cycle speed off toward the north. He tilted his skull back, laying it on the ground with a sigh,

"You won't outrun the Devil for long, boy."


	2. Deal with the Devil

Rain pattered against the large pane glass windows of a New York skyscraper. The high-rise office that looked out onto the night skyline was dimly lit by a desk lamp with a green glass shade. Behind a large mahogany desk sat a towering man in a fine leather office chair. He overlooked a wall of TVs displaying an array of news channels and security feeds. The light music of smooth jazz wafted across the room along with the white smoke of an expensive cigar. The ring of a phone interrupted the calm atmosphere. He swung his large frame around to answer the call.

"Hello?" he listened to the man on the other end, "What about our situation with the South Side Mob?" he waited as he heard the answer, "Sounds like Mr. Cornellia needs to be reminded why I am the Kingpin of Crime." As the associate began to reply, the phone line went silent along with the jazz music.

"And the Kingpin is who I need." The seasoned voice was coming from the office's entrance as an old man walked through the oak doors. He brought in a cold chill with him, not the kind that one would associate with the rain, an unnatural cold followed him. Kingpin set the phone back on the hook as he looked at his new guest.

"Mephisto? To what do I owe this visit?" he asked as he brushed the sleeves of his white suit coat. The Devil ran a hand across his slick white hair and then down his black goatee.

"How'd you know it was I who came calling?" this sent a Cheshire smile across Kingpin's face,

"Who else still wears a red corduroy suit?" He steepled his fat fingers over his desk before continuing, "Now, why are you in my office? I am a busy man."

The Devil waved his hand towards someone who was still behind the door. A young lady entered the office now, a red cocktail dress wrapped around her slender hourglass figure. They approached Kingpin's desk, Mephisto using a ram's head cane to aid him. The woman spoke with a smooth voice,

"Something was taken from me. I want it back." Leaning back in his chair with interest, the springs straining from the heavy weight, the Kingpin motioned for his guests to sit. "The powers of my birthright were ripped away from me." She continued from the comfort of a leather lounge chair.

"Well, I assure you, I do not have any jar of demonic powers." Kingpin joked, while also hinting why this mattered to him.

"Of course not, Fisk. If that were the case, I'd have dragged you to Hell by now." Mephisto adjusted his pair of black-rimmed glasses after speaking. "We come to ask you of a favor," this raised Kingpin's eyebrow far up his bald head, "We know who has it. I want it brought in quickly, so call in your best 'hired help'." Kingpin nodded his head, "Anyone you can bring in, I will reward you generously."

"I may have some contacts I can call in." Kingpin was coy to a fault, "and it's not often the Devil owes a mortal man a favor." Wilson Fisk leaned back in on his desk, "Who is the contract for?"

"The Ghost Rider."


	3. Penance Stare

Johnny Blaze found himself at the rundown bar of a seedy hotel in northern Utah. A tall glass of beer sat barely half-drank in front of him. As he started to take another drink, a woman found her way to the stool next to him.

"Aren't you just a tall drink of water?" she tried to get Blaze's attention as she twirled her finger playfully through one of her blonde curls, he simply took another drink of his beer, "Oh, the strong-silent type. I like that." Her expression perked up with that sentence, "Why don't you stop up at my…." Johnny raised his hand before she went any further,

"No, offense, but I'm not interested, ma'am." He said with a tortured breath, "I'd just like to finish this beer in peace." She looked at him with a scowl from being rejected,

"Fine," she huffed as she walked away she added, "loser." under her breath. Blaze ignored her and took a final swig of his lager. Picking himself off his barstool, he started towards his room. Passing through the doorway leading out of the bar, he bumped shoulders with another woman, this one a young redhead. She turned back to look at Blaze as he kept his pace. Her eyebrows raised as she took in the sight of the leather-clad biker. He interested her, not in the same way the lady at the bar was interested. He looked familiar to her, but for she could say anything, Johnny Blaze had stepped into an elevator.

Johnny threw his boots off into the corner and took a seat on the creaky mattress. He pulled the saddlebag from his motorcycle over towards his feet. Flipping the leather flap open, he pulled out the only object in there. He felt the smooth edges of the red stone in his palm. There was a pulsating red glow from what could've otherwise passed as a plain river rock.

"Quicker I get rid of this, the better. Sure that Dr. Strange in New York has a spot for this where even Mephista can't reach it." He looked at it a little longer in a deep stare, "Until then her father and her will send all Hell has to offer." The stone was then safely tucked back into the leather bag and stowed in the corner. Johnny kicked his feet up on the bed and laid his head on the rock hard pillow. With the night in full effect, Johnny started to doze off to sleep.

The alarm clock registered it as a few hours later, but it seemed like only a few minutes when Blaze was awaken in the cool night. From the room next door came a shrill yell and that familiar tingle ran down Johnny's spine, the blood of the innocence had been spilt. Dragging himself out of bed, he ripped opened his door. The screams continued, but Blaze stood in the hallway alone, everyone else chose to ignore it. He grabbed the handle of the door, the tingling now becoming a burning. Blaze wiggled the handle, but the door wouldn't budge. Hellfire started coursing through Johnny's arm, the cheap door handle began to drip into a metal puddle on the floor. When the door flew open the Ghost Rider stood where Johnny once did. The Spirit of Vengeance charged in to the scene to see a belligerent man brandishing a belt over his head. On the dirty bed lay a fearful woman with recent bruises. The two turned towards the new occupant and fear began to boil up on the man's face as well. He dropped his belt and shuffled towards the other end of the room, the lady cowered at the head of the bed. A misplaced shoe caused the man to trip backwards, his back fell against an old-school radiator. The heated metal started to scald his back through his wife beater until Ghost Rider pulled him up by the cheap undershirt. He was so close to the Rider's skull that the hairs on his mustache were starting to singe.

"Guilty." The Rider judged as he looked deep into the man's soul. A Hellish roar echoed from the spirit rider as he tossed the man aside, his body now a stiff, cold plank. The Rider turned to the woman on the bed as she wiped blood from her lip with a jittery hand. Her eyes were wide, expecting this demon to burn away her soul too. Ghost Rider didn't though, he simply walked out of the room and returned to his own hovel. Johnny Blaze shook his head to clear his mind. He realized his stay here was now over, so he threw his boots back on and grabbed the saddlebag from the corner. His bike waited out in the parking lot.

Blaze made his way across the Bonneville Salt Flats with a full moon leaning towards the Western sky. He was flying across the salty earth at record speeds, reminding him of his days of daredevil stunts. Almost felt like no force of Heaven or Hell could catch him out on these plains.


	4. Stay on Target

The next morning saw Johnny at a small diner on the Wyoming side of the Utah-Wyoming border. He took a sip of coffee as a waitress delivered his plate of bacon and eggs. As he thanked her, the door opened letting in the biting wind with it. Chewing on his eggs, Blaze didn't pay attention to the new customer taking a seat on the stool next to him.

"Stack of pancakes, toots." The man ordered with no hint of politeness. This made Johnny look up from his breakfast to take in a slender man who hid his muscles under a black T-shirt and camo pants, a glare reflected off his bald head. The man noticed Blaze's interest, "You want me to wait till you finish your breakfast?" Not what Johnny expected to hear and his face showed it to the stranger, "I'm going have to kill you. Figure I'll at least let you die on a full stomach." This really surprised Johnny, but he now tried to downplay it by returning to cutting up his eggs.

"Did I not sign your poster after one of my jumps, Mr.?" he said with a cool tone, not wanting to start a fight in the busy little diner, even if he did get that tingle from his soul. The man started to play with the fork sitting on the counter.

"Bullseye, and I'm here to get back what you took from Mephista." Johnny laid down his knife, he was going to have to teach this guy a lesson. Before Johnny could offer a retort, Bullseye's fork was lodged in his arm. Johnny pulled it out and tried to take a swing at Bullseye, but he had flipped back off his stool and grabbed another patron's coffee mug. Johnny stood up just as the ceramic cup smashed against his forehead. He rubbed the bruise as screaming people clamored for the door. Bullseye vaulted over the counter and took a steak knife in his nimble fingers. Blaze followed after him, but the knife came flying in. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't avoid it and it sank deep under his collarbone. The civilians had left the diner empty and, after removing the knife, Johnny unleashed the Ghost Rider. "Ooo, look at you." Bullseye prodded him. The Rider sent a ball of Hellfire towards the kitchen. While Bullseye could always hit his target, he couldn't always dodge and the fire ball blasted into him. He stumbled back as his shirt smoldered with flames. The Rider approached, but Bullseye threw a spatula that glanced off the Rider's skull. The Ghost Rider threw another fire ball hitting Bullseye's gut. The assassin slid back over the counter throwing all sorts of silverware at the Spirit of Vengeance. The Rider had an assortment of knives and forks protruding from his leather jacket now, but he wasn't deterred by this. Finally, Rider had closed the gap, but Bullseye busted a chair across his head. Ghost Rider went through the front window of the diner and landed on the hood of a car. The cold wind fanned out the flames of the Rider's head. Ghost Rider pulled himself to his feet and went to pull his chain from the back of his motorcycle. Bullseye followed through the busted window and launched a coffee pot that shattered against the back of the Rider's skull. The demon rider growled in anger as he swung his chain towards Bullseye. The contract killer caught the chain and tried to pull it from the Rider. Ghost Rider sent a wave of Hellfire down the chain. Bullseye quickly dropped the chain in pain. He looked at his hand with a sneer, the imprint of a chain link now branded on his palm. The assassin reached down on his belt and produced some throwing knives. The knives were cutting through the sky, but the Rider spun his chain in front of him like a ring of fire. The sharp knives were knocked down by the swirl. "I missed? Let's try that again." He whined. The Rider took little interest in his complaints. Bullseye grabbed a broken shard of glass from the pavement and sent it whizzing towards the Rider's heart. A stream of Hellfire melted the shard before it struck true. Bullseye was being thrown off his game, "You don't make me miss! I never miss." The Rider said nothing, instead throwing his chain around Bullseye's neck and yanking him towards his waiting hand. A leather glove wrapped around Bullseye's throat lifted him off of his feet as the Rider roared at him. Using all his might, the Ghost Rider threw Bullseye back through the window and watched the assassin smash into the kitchen refrigerator. Only a few civilians were still in the area to watch from afar as Ghost Rider mounted his bike and roared out of the town. One such person was a redhead who had watched the whole fight from a nearby coffee shop counter. She threw on her bomber jacket and walked out to the street.


	5. Unexpected Stop

Ghost Rider's motorcycle flew down the highway. The wind blew the blazing fires backwards. Soon the flames of the Hellfire wheels returned to Goodyear rubber and the headlight replaced a chrome skull between the handlebars. The Harley's black paint job saw the return of a white racing strip as Johnny felt the wind rustle through his hair. He took this chance to look around and see he was surrounded by Wyoming cattle pasture on both sides. His fight with Bullseye solidified his suspicions that the force of evil were still nipping at his heels. New York was the destination for the glowing rock and Blaze realized he had less time than he predicted. He was looking at, at least, a day of hard riding to cover the more ground and keep Mephista and her hired help from catching up with him.

He had been on the road for a while when his plan of a long ride hit a bump around sundown. Down the road was a flatbed truck pulled across both lanes of the highway. Sitting on the bed was a young, redheaded girl swinging her knee-high black boots off the side. Johnny Blaze squeezed his handbrake with a great force and pulled the bike into a sideways skid. Before the bike laid down on its side, it came to a stop near the truck. The girl hopped down and addressed Johnny playfully with an adopted English accent,

"Figured that would get your attention." She then pulled a semi-auto Colt from a shoulder holster and leveled it at Blaze. Straightening up, Blaze looked at the girl with curiosity,

"Are you here to collect Mephista's powers too?" he slowly started to wriggle the chain off his chest. This got a disgusted look from the girl, who momentarily lowered her gun,

"Do you not remember who I am?" she seem offended as she brought the gun back up. Blaze looked over the girl from her braided red hair to her safari shirt tied up exposing her midriff to the black riding boots. Johnny asked with a pondering tone,

"Are you Bloodstone's girl? Um, um, Lisa, right?" this got an eye roll from her,

"It's Elsa. And yeah, I'm a Bloodstone." Pulling back her pistol's hammer she continued, "The monster hunters." Blaze lifted his hands from his chain,

"I told you last time, Elsa. I'm no monster." He reasoned with her mentioning the first time the two ran across each other.

"Right, that's why I saw you turn into that demon again earlier today." She raised her complaint,

"The Rider protects the innocent. I don't suck blood or turn into a wolfman."

"You say that, but it's my job to take care of monsters running wild." Johnny shook his head, the girl was just too dedicated to her cause. He raised his bike up and moved his foot onto the kick start.

"If I don't get going now. We'll have some real monsters to deal with." The motor started to rumble to life, "Have a good day, and good hunting." He tried to walk his motorcycle to the highway's shoulder around the flatbed. Elsa wasn't going to let the person she had been tracking since Utah get away that easy. She ran over towards Johnny and pistol whipped him. The blow sent him flying off his bike.

"Not so fast, love." Elsa's slim frame belied her true strength. Johnny rolled across the dirt until a cattle fence stopped him. As he stood up, a bullet whizzed into a nearby wooden post. Johnny leaned back by nature. He half muttered under his breath,

"I don't have time for this." By this time Elsa had pulled out her other pistol, both now trained on Johnny. "Do we really have to do this now?" Blaze thought about his current mission. Bloodstone raised her eyebrows playfully. Taking his chain in his fist, Ghost Rider was set ablaze. This was Elsa's cue to start unloading the dual Colts. They sank deep into the Rider, but no bullets would stop this supernatural force. He sent a ball of Hellfire towards Elsa. She staggered back from the hit, but the Hellfire didn't seem to faze her.

"Hellfire? You're lobbing softballs, dear." She sneered at Rider. That ruby red choker she wore gave her an edge in a fight with otherworldly forces. Ghost Rider threw his chain in a big loop and wrapped up Elsa in its lasso. Using her strength, she broke free and grabbed her end of the Rider's chain. The Hellfire coursing through it didn't burn her. Instead she whipped it up, the wave threw the Spirit of Vengeance over the fence this time. He got up in a field of cows looking at him with dumb interest. Opening his jaw, the Rider spat Hellfire on the fence, melting it away. As Elsa reached for the shotgun on her back, Ghost Rider gave a cow a smack on the rear end. The spooked bovine trampled out of the open fence and towards the monster hunter.

During all the commotion of this fight/stampede, a convertible had parked on the other side of the flatbed blocking the highway. Its driver got out and climbed under the truck bed, avoiding the two fighters. Meanwhile, Elsa was diving in and out of heavy hooves rushing across the pavement. At the back of the herd was the Ghost Rider. He scooped his chain off the road as he waited for the herd to disperse. Once the cows had wandered into another empty field on the other side of the road, he got close to Elsa and pulled the shotgun from her grasp. With the stock of the gun, Rider busted it across her chin. This was enough to knock her on the ground, but not knock her out of the fight. "Nice try, dear, but I spent too much…" she stopped halfway as she noticed a third person digging through the saddlebags of Ghost Rider's unattended motorcycle, "Aye, who is that?" Ghost Rider looked over to his bike to see a man hiding behind a deep red, leather, racing jacket pulling the stone that held Mephista's power out of the bag. The man made eye contact with the Spirit of Vengeance and let out a sly grin as he started back towards his car. The thief leaped onto the flatbed with Rider following behind him. A blast from the thief's wooden cane knocked the Ghost Rider on the ground next to Elsa. As he crawled back up, the convertible sped off down the road. The young Bloodstone also got back up, still interested in finishing off the demon rider. While Rider rushed towards his bike, Elsa put a bullet in his back. He turned around, letting out a low gurgle. His annoyance was palpable, leading Elsa to let out a sheepish laugh.

"Get lost." He hissed at her as the fiery motorcycle flew after the thief's car.


	6. Brush Burning

The convertible had a sizeable head start on the Rider, but it wasn't long before the flaming motorcycle caught up to the sports car. The Spirit of Vengeance rammed into the side of the car. The shock caused the thief to swerve to maintain control. He returned the favor, by slamming into the Rider. Pulling his bike back on the road, Ghost Rider threw a ball of Hellfire towards the tire. It bubbled a little around the rim, but didn't blow out. Before the Rider could finish the tire off, another blast of heat came from the thief's cane causing him to restabilize the motorcycle. The convertible pulled in front of the biker again. Rider put himself squarely behind the car when he was up to speed and leapt from his seat. A pair of black cowboy boots thudded onto the convertible's trunk. The driver noticed he had picked up a passenger as he tried to focus on the road. Ghost Rider swung his chain out, it wound tight around the thief's neck like a noose. The man struggled against it, his free hand fought at the chain as he gasped for air. The Rider pulled tighter and tighter as the car sped up. As his face started to turn a shade of blue, the thief released his grip from the chain and took up his wooden cane, which Ghost Rider now recognized was a shillelagh. Another blast flowed through the fighting stick. This one struck the Rider's shoulder resulting in him loosening his grip on the chain. The thief jammed his shillelagh in between the spokes of the steering wheel until it rested on the accelerator. With the car on a shaky course towards a small town at the base of the Rocky Mountains, the thief stood up in the car to face the Spirit of Vengeance.

"Alright boyo," he motioned to bring it on, "show me what ye got." A straight punch from the Rider was easily dodge and countered by an uppercut that cracked his skull back at a 90 degree angle. The Rider took his head in a gloved hand and snapped it back to its original position with little distress. The demon threw a gut punch that caused the thief to land in the passenger seat with his head on the dashboard and his black hair matted to his face. With his enemy down, the Ghost Rider brought his chain down on the man in a succession of strikes. After several blows, the thief noticed they had made it into the edge of town. He pulled his shillelagh out of the wheel and raised it up to deflect a blow from the Rider's chain. The car started to slow down and veer sporadically around the road. The Hellfire chain got tangled up around the wooden stick and the thief used it to his advantage by pulling against the tension. This unbalanced the Rider, causing him to belly flop onto the trunk. A free hand grabbed the driver seat headrest to keep him from sliding off that back. The thief then grabbed the wheel and swerved the convertible into the nearest building.

The car wreck sent the demon rider through the windshield and over the hood. The thief pulled himself off the passenger side floor, the power stone stashed in a leather pouch tied onto the belt of his jeans, and ran towards another building in town. Picking himself up through the rubble of a ruined wall, the Ghost Rider's skull was engulfed in a blaze of Hellfire again. He chased after the man who escaped into a nearby greenhouse. When he entered the glass house, the watering system kicked in casting a damp mist through the whole greenhouse. The Rider could hear the water boiling off his shoulders as he wandered down the narrow aisle with limited visibility. A cheerful laugh wafted across the mist,

"Ya shouldn't have followed me in 'ere, boyo." Ghost Rider couldn't pinpoint the origin of the Irish accent, "You see, plants are me specialty." Rider kept his pace, offering his short reply,

"Who?" his question went unanswered for a few more steps. The answer came from close behind him,

"Black Tom Cassidy," the Rider turned to see he was face-to-face with the Irish mutant. "At your service." He jested as he tipped his shillelagh into the soil of a planter tray. Vines sprung out from the bushy plants and slithered their way around Ghost Rider's arms and legs until he was locked up tight. Pulling against the strong vines proved fruitless for the Spirit of Vengeance. Black Tom then placed a hand on the stalk of one of the plants. It began to glow with heat, as did the other plants that were entangled via roots. Soon, Ghost Rider was pelted with heat energy blasts from all sides. All he could do is take them. His power grew weak until finally Johnny Blaze couldn't sustain his power any longer. Black Tom stopped his barrage and looked at the beaten daredevil. "Don't fret," he gave a little bow before disappearing into the misty greenhouse, "I'll make sure this little bauble gets to the proper owner." Blaze closed his eyes as he tried to recover and focus. He felt the demon spirit boiling up in him. It overflowed in a big way. With a loud roar, Ghost Rider ignited the whole greenhouse in flames. Hellfire bathed over the plants and vines until they were burned to ashes, the sprinklers busted from the pressure of boiled water, the windows shattered outwards, and Cassidy was knocked to the ground outside. The mutant rolled over on his back to meet the Ghost Rider, who lorded over him. The spirit rider pulled the bag off of Black Tom's belt and then pulled him up by his jacket.

"See your sins." He ordered as he started into the Irishman's soul. Black Tom let out a cheeky smile,

"You might want to 'see' him first, boyo." Ghost Rider broke his gaze to see Tom was pointing at his partner who was incoming.


	7. Freight Train

A huge fist separated Black Tom from Ghost Rider, who went flying several feet. The mutant fell to his knees and looked up to his towering mountain of a partner.

"Should've got out of my way."

"Took you long enough, Juggs. Grab that pouch off him, then we can get outta here and get paid." He said through a winded breath. Juggernaut cracked his knuckles in his gigantic fists. An eager smirk spread under his bronzed dome helmet as he approached the Spirit of Vengeance. Ghost Rider started to pull the chain from his chest, but Juggernaut took the puny man in one of his big paws and launched him through the air into the second story of a brick building. Black Tom looked over at his ally while propped up on his shillelagh, "Come on, mate. You can't grab the stone when he's up on the roof." Juggernaut walked over towards the Rider,

"Don't worry. I'm just playing with the bonehead." Juggernaut huffed in a gravelly tone. Ghost Rider had gotten back up and was looking down at the muscle-bound titan. Some tactical thinking brought the Rider to the conclusion he didn't need to fight the Juggernaut. He had the stone back, he just needed to escape these two goons. Standing on the second floor, Rider whistled for his bike. When it came into view Juggernaut took notice, "I don't think so, small fry." He started towards it until a river of Hellfire descend on him. Cain Marko's view was obstructed by orange flames. He raised a massive hand over the dome to shield his eye and mouth holes. The Hellcycle parked itself under the Rider as the flames kept Juggernaut immobile. After judging the angle, the Rider dropped down directly on the bike. Stopping his stream of fire the Rider started off into the foothills of the mountains, the moon peaking over them. Juggernaut saw him trying to escape. "Where you running, small fry? Don't you know who I am?" he taunted out loud as he charged after the bike. Ghost Rider didn't even clear the town before Cain Marko caught up with him. He scooped up the Harley in his arms while still at a jog. The Ghost Rider slid off his seat and onto the Juggernaut's back, his chain wrapped around the bottom of the helmet like reins. After launching the Harley off into the mountains, Juggernaut grabbed the chain around his neck. With little effort, he swung Rider off his back and smashed the spirit rider down on his. A quick roll was all that kept Ghost Rider from missing the thick brass knuckles that created a pothole in the road next to his skull. He got back on his feet before Juggernaut could send another punch down. He sent his chain out, but it glanced off of Marko's body armor. Another wide swing of the chain smacked the hulking thug on his exposed shoulder, but his wide frame kept the chain from tying him up. Instead, there was just a burn mark on the massive shoulder. Ghost Rider had to dive back from a heavy left hook and a quick jump to miss the two massive fists pounding the ground. With Juggernaut hunched down, Ghost Rider walked over the bronzed helmet and across his wide back. Once behind the Juggernaut, he threw his chain wide around Marko's legs and began to run in the opposite direction. When the chain got tight, he pulled with all his might. The sound of a heavy belly flop meant he caught the brute off guard. As Juggy tried to pull himself back up, the Spirit of Vengeance leaped on his back and sprayed his helmet with Hellfire. Ghost Rider was caught in the back by a heat blast that toppled him off Juggernaut. It came from a wounded Black Tom perched against a rock,

"Aye, play fair, mate." He huffed out. Juggy had picked himself off the ground and looked towards Cassidy,

"Don't worry, Tommy Boy. Ain't no magic fire gonna stop the Juggernaut!" He shouted as he charged towards Ghost Rider with his head lowered. Ghost Rider tried to stop the hubris brute with lashes from his chain, but with no effect. With the force of a freight train, Juggernaut slammed into the Spirit of Vengeance. He felt a few ribs crack under his biker jacket. Cain Marko stopped his charge when he slammed his prey into the side of a stone building. Using his left hand to pin the Rider against the wall, he took the small leather pouch in between two of his thick fingers and ripped it from the black leather belt it hung from. All the sudden, a blast rang out and a look of uncomfortableness appeared in Juggernaut's eyes. His massive body wheeled around to see an unconscious Black Tom and a shit-eating grin broke his lips as he laid eyes on Elsa Bloodstone with a smoking shotgun pointed at him.

"Here," Juggernaut tossed Ghost Rider across the yard, "I'm done with this bonehead." The leather-clad biker toppled the young girl over, leaving them both laying on the cold ground. They could only lay there as the sound of rapid heavy footsteps marked Juggernaut's departure. Johnny Blaze rolled off of the monster hunter and sighed in agony. Elsa was first up and extended a hand towards the stunt man.

"Sure you don't want to shoot me on the ground." He asked with a hint of wit. She brushed the dirt off her khaki pants as she spoke,

"I'll give the Ghost Rider a pass for now. Seems we have bigger game to chase." Her hand pointed towards the trail of footprints Juggernaut left when he charged off. Rubbing the back of his neck, Blaze looked where the divots led.

"Straight up into the Rockies," his gaze shifted towards the sky, "in the dead of the night."


	8. Devil You Do Know

Elsa looked around the town that was now more a battlefield.

"Looks like we're walking, love." Her joke went unheard by Johnny, who was looking towards the other side of town. She stood there with a blank stare for several more seconds, only the sound of ambient wind spread across the foothills. Johnny turned back to Bloodstone and finally spoke softly,

"We'll take my ride." Her eyebrows raised curiously when Johnny let out a high whistle. Her curiosity was answered when a flaming Harley appeared over the ridge and made its way to the duo. The bike parked and extinguished itself in front of them.

"Nice trick." Bloodstone commented as she crawled on behind Blaze on the motorcycle, "Have to get me a motorbike like this." The bike started off after the trail of a giant. Night had gotten comfortable in the sky as the Harley's motor struggled up the steep inclines. The only source of light for the duo was the headlamp of the bike illuminating the snow flurries associated with mountaintops. Blaze's knuckles were white under those black gloves as he hugged the corners of those narrow mountain roads, pushing his bike to full speed. One curve proved greater than Johnny expected. The bike, along with its two passengers, skidded off the road into a snow bank. The snow around the overheated engine turned to a steaming puddle of water. Blaze rolled out from under the bike.

"You okay?" he asked as he helped the young Elsa Bloodstone up.

"Got a bit of road rash," she tenderly examined the rip on her pants leg, "I thought you were supposed to be the world's greatest motorcyclist." She tried to alleviate her pain with humor.

"Someone forgot to tell the snow that." Johnny made a poor joke in reply as he yanked the Harley back up out of the snow. Before he could get the bike back to the road he heard a noise among the falling snow, a voice, one filled with self-assuredness. He waved a hand down at Elsa to listen.

"Yeah. I've got the package." There was a pause, "Once I grab Tommy Boy we'll be on our way to collect our reward." It sounded like Johnny Blaze was eavesdropping on half a phone call, "Alright, Kingpin." And it had reached its ends. Johnny looked at Elsa with a hurried expression that matched hers.

"Come on, get on!" He ordered to her, "And…. please resist the urge to shoot me." He asked of the monster hunter. When he stomped down on the kick starter his bike was instantly transformed into a Hellcycle and the Ghost Rider's familiar flaming skull returned. Elsa jumped onto the bike and held on tight as the Spirit of Vengeance rode up the mountain after the Juggernaut. The Hellcycle wasn't daunted by tight corners or slippery roads. The blazing tires leaving another trail in the road along with Juggernaut's. Further up the path they saw where Cain Marko made his call, a small mountain overlook station. The human freight train had already left the scene. Hot on his trail though, the Rider pushed his demon bike even harder, Elsa's red braids whipping off the back of her head. At the crest of the trail, the mountain flattened out onto plateau before it continued farther up the peaks. It was here they spotted Juggernaut's large outline stopped at a crossroads conversing with two other figures obscured by the snow flurries. As the Rider closed the distance, he was able to hear their voices through the night air,

"I ain't giving this trinket to no one but the Kingpin. He's the one paying for it." Juggernaut's tone was confrontational.

"I will make sure he is well aware who to reward, but," the old man had taken the leather pouch in his hand without Juggernaut's knowledge, "we require this now." He shook the red stone out onto his palm and handed it to his female companion.

"Hey, you best give that back, small fry." The man ignored Juggernaut's threat as he noticed the Ghost Rider approaching.

"Ah, it seems we have company." He then looked back at the lumbering brute, "You can be on your way." His wrinkled hand waved away Marko. This caused Juggernaut to lash a fist out at the old man with a low growl. His punch didn't connect though, his muscles seemed to freeze up on him. The old man's extended hand seemed to command the Juggernaut's whole being. Juggernaut strained and groaned but couldn't break free as the man brushed him off the side of the mountain like he was shooing a fly.

Ghost Rider and Elsa watched the behemoth topple down the side as the Hellcycle parked in front of the old man and his young counterpart. The Rider dismounted his bike with Bloodstone behind him.

"Mephisto." Came the hiss of Ghost Rider's whispering voice. The skull then rotated to the girl, "Mephista." Elsa tensely gripped the handle of her pistol before she shot off more sass,

"The Devil… waiting at a crossroad. Really original." Mephisto shrugged his shoulders,

"I'm a man of traditions." He turned away from the two heroes towards his daughter. She was handling the red stones in her nimble fingers. Her gaze met with the Spirit of Vengeance, it wasn't a pleasant stare. Without breaking her line of sight with the Rider, she spoke to her father,

"If you don't mind father, I have a score to settle with Ghost Rider." The red stone which contained her power dissolved in her hands, a stream of smoky red energy flowed up around her arm. With a devilish smile on her face, the red energy was soaked into her chest. The Devil looked upon her while he dusted snow off his red jacket,

"Well, I shouldn't let you have all the fun daughter." The two were obscured by whirlwinds of red smoke. Ghost Rider shuffled the chain off his shoulder and looked towards the young Elsa Bloodstone. Understanding the message, she took a shotgun in her right hand, a pistol in her left. When the clouds dispersed, standing where the two villains stood were two red skinned demons. Black wings sprouted from behind Mephista.

"Ah, it's good to be back." It was said with ecstasy on her voice. She flew off towards the sky, her new, flowing, white toga fluttered in the breezy snow. From the other cloud of smoke came Mephisto's true form. He threw back his red cape to reveal a muscled physique under a plate of Spartan-esque armor. Bloodstone took little provocation to start unloading her pistol clip on the Devil. The bullets seemed to have little effect on him.

Ghost Rider threw his chain out in an attempt to ground the flying demoness. The steel links wrapped around her ankle, putting a stop to her flight. Hovering in the air, she stared down at the Rider as he started reeling her towards the earth. She swooped down, the chain slackening, and took a handful of it in her grasp. Pulling out of her dive with a flap of her large wings, she soared skywards. Ghost Rider watched the chain uncoil off the ground then looked upwards as Mephista continued to gain speed.

"Damn." came the scratchy voice of the Ghost Rider as he was yanked by his chain up into the sky at breakneck speed.

A click signaled to Elsa her clip was empty, she tossed down the pistol and brought her shotgun towards her shoulder. The buckshot blast staggered back the Devil,

"Holy Water slugs. Nice try girl, but you'll need sterner steel than that." He mocked her. Mephisto tried to bathe her in Hellfire. The flames covered her entire figure, but to the Devil's surprise, when he relented, she was still standing tall,

"You demons and your Hellfire." She tapped her ruby choker, "Nice try, but I've seen better, love." Mephisto scowled at her snark. He pulled his cane from inside his cape and it turned into a sword within his hand. Elsa had to quickly roll out of the way from a wide swing intending to slice her in half. Another swing came down at her, but she caught Mephisto's wrist and kept him from following through. A quick glimpse of Mephisto's expression told Elsa he was impressed with her strength. She spun into his chest and jammed an elbow in his gut. It only dented his armor, but gave the monster hunter the chance to wretch the sword from his hand and swing it into his calf. The Devil roared in pain and threw her back with a wide sweep of his palm.

Ghost Rider was clinging to his steel chain as Mephista dragged him higher into the atmosphere. Swinging back and forth, the wind whipped him around sporadically, snowflakes melting on skull. Carefully, he started to climb up the links. Once in range, Ghost Rider grabbed the demon's ankle. She looked down to see his leather glove wrapped around her ankle. Kicking him off proved fruitless as the Rider sent a blast of Hellfire from his skull. The burning flames disoriented her causing her to fly in crazy patterns. The snow pelted against her skin as she took a dive. This dive put the Rider above Mephista for a split-second and the Spirit of Vengeance capitalized on it. He threw himself onto her back, taking a wing in either arm. The feathery appendages struggled against the leather-clad biker as he tried to steer her towards the ground. Through the blurry of snow, the dueling Devil and Bloodstone became visible on the ground. Fighting against the demoness, who was trying to go in a spiral, Rider directed her descent towards her father. Mere feet from the ground, Rider leaped back and off his sparring partner and crashed to the mountain road. As he tucked and rolled, he saw Mephista tumble into her father and they rolled into a snow bank. Elsa rushed over and pulled Rider to his feet,

"Never let it be said the Spirit of Vengeance can't make an entrance." Rider ignored the girl as he marched over to scoop his chain off the ground. He raked his fists across the links, sending Hellfire blazing down them. The Devil stood up, dragging his daughter up with him by the arm. Before they could regroup, Ghost Rider lassoed his chain around both of them and squeezed them tight together. The Hellfire blazed with an intense heat through the steel. The Rider approached them, Bloodstone a few steps behind. His empty eyes set in the flaming skull met the gaze of the Devil's blood red eyes.

"Go back to Hell!" His voice roared louder than its usual decibel. Mephisto sneered a gnarled sneer at Ghost Rider.

"We've got what we've come for. I'll settle my deal with you later, Blaze." Mephisto tried to lose with grace. The two demons were again engulfed in red smoke, then the chain's tension dropped. Ghost Rider's chain lay empty on the mountain road. The Ghost Rider rolled his chain up and stumbled towards his motorcycle. Johnny Blaze now looked over at Elsa Bloodstone who grabbed her pistol off the snow-covered ground.

"Hope you're done monster hunting for the night." He joked while wrapping the chain around the back of his Harley. She sauntered over to him as she spoke,

"I suppose I could give you a day's head start." Johnny smiled,

"And I don't see it fit to leave a girl out here in the middle of the night on the side of a mountain." He ignited the engine, "Come on, think there's still a payphone standing in that town at the foothills." Elsa climbed on the bike behind the stuntman.

"Bloody luck you lost your magic stone." The Harley started down the mountain,

"I'll have other chances. The Mephisto clan and I are pretty close." Snow settled on the scene of the battle. The mountain road grew dark and silent as only the scars of Hellfire remained.


	9. Obligatory Post-Credit Scene

Music filled a dark barroom on a clear Texas night. Johnny Blaze sat across from a surly bartender, a beer half drank on the bar. A man ponied up to the stool next to him. After his tussle with Bullseye at the diner, Blaze made sure to take notice of who was sitting with him. And in a honky-tonk bar like this a charcoal gray suit makes you stand out like a sore thumb.

"Mr. Blaze." He spoke with the tone of a bureaucrat. Johnny looked over with a concerned glare. The man didn't seem to whimper away from Blaze, instead handing him a manila folder with a disarming smile. Johnny left it sitting on the bar, his eyes still trained on this stranger. "We are looking to recruit some new talent into SHIELD." After swallowing a drink of his beer, Blaze spoke to the man,

"I've heard of you guys. Sorry, I prefer to stay out of the politics of superheroes." He verbally waved off the man's offer, but he wasn't easily deterred.

"We're well aware of your position. That's why you're perfect for our new mission." Johnny lifted his drink again, trying to ignore the man, hoping he would go away. "That's why we're looking for you, and heroes like you. Ones who aren't interested in being on the headline news." He started to stand off his barstool, "You'll be helping the world. Protecting the innocent." As he walked away he dropped a business card on the table, "Give me a call." Once the man disappeared back into the crowd, Johnny Blaze lowered his beer and examined the card: Agent Phil Coulson. He tucked it away in a pocket of his leather jacket and slipped a paper out of the manila folder still on the bar. The heading read: Secret- The Defenders.


End file.
